Complete 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Trial In 6 Months: Hc

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The Delhi [ Images ] high court on Monday directed the lower court to complete the trial of all pending cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, including those against Congress leaders Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, within six months.

"We direct that the trial will be conducted as expeditiously as possible and will be completed within six months," a bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah said.

Within a week after being pulled up for being insensitive in handling riot cases as 'routine' exercises and for not appointing senior advocates to handle them, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Delhi government appointed special public prosecutors for them, on the line of post-Godhra riot cases in Gujarat.

The investigating agency and the government informed the bench that they have appointed senior advocates as public prosecutors to handle the cases of 1984 riots, in which more than 2700 people were killed.

There are four cases pending in the trial court, out of which two relating to Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler are being handled by the CBI and the other two by the Delhi police. The advocate appearing for CBI submitted that senior advocate R S Cheema and advocate Y K Saxena have been appointed as special public prosecutor to handle trial court cases while Additional Solicitor General A S Chandhiok will be handling 1984 riots cases in the high court.

Similarly, the Delhi government submitted that senior advocate B S Joon will be handling its trial court cases while senior advocate H J S Ahluwalia will handle cases pending in the high court.